How to Deal with Shift Work Sleep Disorder?

If you work in rotating shifts or in night shifts, there is a high probability that you might be experiencing the ‘Shift Work Sleep Disorder’. If you are having trouble to stay awake or to stay alert during work, or if you are unable to sleep during the day due to your night shift, this means the onset of a sleep disorder.

If your body’s 24 hour internal clock is disturbed, your body tends to get confused about when to sleep and when to rest. The darkness or light helps our bodies to know when we should be active and when we should be sleeping.

Reset your body clock for new sleep routine

When you work in rotating shifts or night shifts, your body is unable to reset for you to sleep at daytime, which is very hard for the body to do. However, there are some people who have no problems adjusting to their night routine as they might consider calling themselves the ‘night owls’. For them to get a good sleep even during the day is not at all an issue.

If you are one of those people who are having trouble adjusting to a night shift, especially if you are new to it, it is best you consult your health care provider. This surely might be an indication that you are having a sleep disorder. It might also indicate that you might have a different medical problem which causes insomnia.

Diagnose your sleep disorder

To diagnose your problem, your health care provider might use a sleep diary and have studies done on you to see whether you have issues with your sleep. You will also be asked a lot of questions about the hours of your work, your sleep time, the number of hours you sleep and the way you feel after waking up. Your health care provider will also ask you if you feel tired and fatigued during your work.

When your doctor asks you to maintain a sleep diary, he basically would want to know exact answers to the questions stated above. Your doctor will also want you to undergo several sleep studies, which are mostly done in a sleep laboratory.